


Pulling a Shang (TM)

by cristina_lore



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: And because I haven't seen this and it is my Shining Light, Awkwardness, Demiromantic Keith, M/M, Mention of Depressed Lance, Mutual Pining, Reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-14
Updated: 2017-01-14
Packaged: 2018-09-17 08:44:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9314060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cristina_lore/pseuds/cristina_lore
Summary: Team Voltron is separated and reunited. This is the awkwardness that ensues.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Redburn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redburn/gifts).



> Thank you for pushing me to write this.
> 
>  
> 
> Everyone who has seen Mulan knows that Shang is the King of Romance, and not at all awkward. Of course not. Keith and Lance, of course, would aspire to emulate him, even if they don't conciously know it.
> 
> (Rated Mature only because there might be one or two swear words.)
> 
> (First fic, please love me.)

It wasn’t that being stuck anywhere with Lance was a bad thing really. _Au Contraire._ Lance was his best friend, had been his best friend for what seemed like forever.

Lance was just…Lance. He could obsess with the best of them was the thing. Now, Hunk was self-aware enough to know that if there was such a thing as King of Anxiety and Insecurity, he would be it. But if he was King, Lance was definitely in the Royal Family. And while there was nothing Lance was more insecure about than his ability to make his family happy (the depression in no way helped), he’d never voice it. At all. What he would voice was a less major insecurity: whether or not his crush liked him back. Or in this case, considering they were separated from the rest of Voltron, whether or not his crush missed him. If he even noticed his absence, _pay attention, Hunk!_

As the name of aforementioned crush once again left Lance’s lips, Hunk sighed. Maybe he could get Shiro to talk to Keith or something, if they ever found each other again.

 

Keith was starting to hate this crush thing.  


Scratch that, he was going from absent-minded hate to actively wishing a crush was a tangible thing, just so he could tear it apart.  


It wasn’t really attraction that was the problem. Attraction was something that happened often (to him, at least) and was easily brushed aside. Years of experience made that possible. And Lance, was after all, a pretty boy, for lack of a better term. But then he had to go and be competitive, and funny in a makes-terrible-jokes kind of way, and self-sacrificing, and a million other things that would make anyone else a good friend, but somehow made him crush-worthy. It was very confusing. Keith hated confusion.

Back at the castle, it was easier to handle. He could train, or spend time with the rest of the paladins. Spend time with Lance. He could just focus on how wonderful Lance was, and the confusion would ebb away. But here, he had nothing to do but survive. The last time he had nothing to do but survive, he became the Grand Master of all Conspiracy Theorists, complete with a wall of pictures and writing connected with string. Granted, that had brought him back Shiro, brought him to a family he could love.

Then again, wasn’t something like love the problem here?

 _Well,_ Keith thought, _even if she does laugh at me, I still have Red._

The lion huffed in agreement.

 

Lance rushed into the common room, formulating plans to get back at Allura. Sure, he had some injuries when he and Hunk were found, but it was no excuse to shove him into a healing pod! He could have still gone down to get Keith! Poor Keith, who had only had Red to keep him company for so long, needed to be reintroduced to human interaction. It was practically Lance’s duty to do this for him, by hugging him, and shaking some sense into him, and ki – just _welcoming_ him. 

And there was the glorious motherfucker himself, standing up from the couch with that smile. For a moment, they just stared at each other across the room, and Lance swore that for that moment, they were the only two people in the universe. There could literally be no other explanation. 

Then they were walking toward each other, legs taking strides as long as possible. They stopped directly in front of each other, both lifting up an arm to clasp the others’ shoulder. Lance swallowed.

“You – “they both said, and then stopped as nervous laughter overtook them. Lance gestured for Keith to go on, dropping his hand from the red paladin’s shoulder to rub at the back of his flushed neck. Keith opened his mouth, hesitated, then closed it. He gulped and said, “You – you look good. Yeah, good.” He let his hand fall from Lance’s shoulder, as if in afterthought.

Lance did as Lance does, and proceeded to ramble. “Yeah dude. Of course. Yeah. And you, um, you fight good. You were by yourself so you probably had to fight something, anything, and you spend a lot of time in the training room and you’re past Level 3, right? An Altean adult on an off day or something, not that you’re bad, just that that’s how Allura described it and really, they have ridiculously high standards – I mean come on, Level 1 is suitable for an Altean child? – but it should be expected because Coran said they have like, fireball rain or something –“ He paused to take a breath, only now just noticing Keith’s widened eyes and raised eyebrows. He cleared his throat. 

“You just…are good at fighting. And you look good too! For someone who was stranded. Good.”

“Thank you?” 

Lance was going to shoot himself. But first, he had to complain to Hunk.

**Author's Note:**

> Does anyone know how to embed a gif? I need the scene that inspired this fic to be a part of this.


End file.
